The caribou population in Canada is drastically declining due to deforestation, an increase in tar sands, and many other area industrial developments.

But what's more startling is how Canadian officials have decided to deal with the situation.  According to Think Progress, "...rather than focus on habitat conservation efforts to protect threatened caribou populations in the province, Canadian officials are poisoning and shooting wolves that prey on caribou."  This strategy could result in a potentially disastrous situation -- the Pembina Institute estimates that approximately 6,000 wolves could be murdered throughout the next five years.

The National Wildlife Federation issued the following statement in response to the Canadian government's killing of wolves:

"Two particularly repugnant methods of destroying wolves – shooting wolves from helicopters and poisoning wolves with baits laced with strychnine – would be carried out in response to the caribou declines. Strychnine is a deadly poison known for an excruciating death that progresses painfully from muscle spasms to convulsions to suffocation, over a period of hours. Wildlife officials will place strychnine baits on the ground or spread them from aircraft in areas they know wolves inhabit. In addition to wolves, non-target animals like raptors, wolverines and cougars will be at risk from eating the poisoned baits or scavenging on the deadly carcasses of poisoned wildlife."

Clearly, Canada's response to the issue at hand is not a wise one.  And it won't even fix the problem -- Caribou populations are not likely to survive another 40 years if industrial activity in Alberta continues.  The main culprit is the expansion of tar sands (and not predators), and yet Canadian officials only plan to expand tar sand production.

By now it's common knowledge that our world's rainforests need to be protected before they're all gone.  But new information released yesterday gives us even more of a reason for rainforest preservation.

According to Popular Science, students from Yale University discovered that one Amazonian fungus can eat even the most durable of landfill waste.  The group of students made the discovery while traveling to Ecuador.  Most importantly, the researchers found that the fungus can break down polyurethane.

While this form of plastic has certainly been hailed by many for being both flexible and strong at the same time, it's also very difficult to break down.  It lasts in landfills for quite some time.  Coming along something that can degrade it naturally is obviously a great solution.

The particular fungus that the students found is called Pestalotiopsis microspora, and can actually survive on polyurethane alone.  Hopefully scientists will be able to find the hungry species in the rainforest!

Did you know that Americans buy over 300 million cases of wine each year?  The shocking number raises a serious environmental question:  What do we do with all the empty wine bottles?  One start-up, Wine Bottle Renew, is creating a business based on a solution.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "The company wants to revive the practice of washing and refilling used glass wine bottles."  The start-up's Chief Executive, Bruce Stephens, hopes to convince wineries around the country that collaborating will be good for business. "You take a bottle and you empty the bottle, and my God, why would that only be a one-time bottle?" Stephens asked the Wall Street Journal. "We used to wash bottles all the time, whether it was wine bottles, beer bottles or Coke bottles."  Indeed, reusing bottles can cost a company 10% less than purchasing new ones.

Sure, reusing glass bottles may be good for a company's bottom line, but how will it affect the environment?  Wine Bottle Renew asserts that rinsing and reusing a wine bottle releases 95% less carbon than does recycling one.  How's that possible?  The Wall Street Journal reports that recycling the glass containers takes more work because they "must be melted down and re-formed before they enter the market again."

Approximately 150 wineries have already teamed up with Wine Bottle Renew.  Stephens told the Wall Street Journal that his company has cleaned and delivered over a million bottles to wineries nationwide.  Hopefully larger wineries will jump on board soon.  Good for business and eco-friendly?  Sounds like a win-win to me!

The Sumatran elephant, which resides primarily in Indonesia, has been newly categorized as "critically endangered" due to massive area deforestation and agriculture.

According to Reuters, "IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, raised its listing of the Sumatran elephant subspecies from 'endangered' to 'critically endangered' after nearly 70 percent of its habitat and [half] its population has been lost in one generation."

While Sumatran elephants are protected by law, unfortunately a majority of their homes are not within safe areas.  Therefore, their habitats are quickly being converted into land for agricultural use.  The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) asserts that unless appropriate action is taken, these magnificent animals could be extinct in less than 30 years.

And the Sumatran elephant isn't the only subspecies suffering; Carlos Drews, Director of Global Species Program for the WWF, told Reuters that other Indonesian animals on the "critically endangered" list include the Sumatran orangutan, the Sumatran tiger, and the Javan and Sumatran rhinos.

According to Reuters, WWF has "called on the Indonesian government to prohibit all forest conversion in elephant habitats until a conservation strategy is devised." We can only hope that none of these beautiful animals will suffer the same fate as the Bali tiger and Java tiger; both Indonesian subspecies went extinct in the past 70 years.

I don't often find myself saying the words "benefit of global warming," but a recent study shows that climate change might prove advantageous for one species.

New Scientist reports that "When the heat is on, lizards become smarter – potentially giving them a competitive edge as the world warms."  How did scientists test it?  Researchers incubated two sets of eggs in different temperatures -- cold versus warm.  After they'd hatched, the two groups of lizards were put into separate aquariums, each equipped with two hideouts.  One hiding place was blocked off, while the other was completely accessible.

The team scared the lizards by touching a paintbrush to their tails.  Then they recorded how the lizards reacted. According to New Scientist, "After 16 trials, five of the nine cold-incubated lizards still headed for the inaccessible hideout. Just one of the 12 warm-incubated lizards made the same mistake."

What conclusion can be drawn?  According to Joshua Amiel, a researcher at the University of Sydney in Australia, "Climate change might not be so bad for these guys."

If we're to succeed without burning fossil fuels, we've got to always be on the lookout for alternative forms of energy.  Some great advancements are being made in the development of new types of power -- we've seen it all, from creating hydrogen fuel to recycling old newspapers.  But major Japanese undergarment manufacturer Wacoal recently launched a truly unique recycling program for creating fuel.

According to Earth 911, since 2008, the underwear manufacturer has encouraged women to recycle their bras so that metal and other materials could be "converted into a type of fuel used for boilers and power generation facilities."  Since the program's inception, Wacoal has collected enough donations to produce almost 18 tons of fuel.

How does it work?  The used bras, which contain both fabric and metal wiring, are converted into a fuel that's classified as "refuse paper and plastic fuel" (RPF).  Earth 911 reports that the "bra-based RPF fuel has a combustion efficiency similar to coal but emits far less carbon dioxide."  This means that lots of energy can be produced with fewer impurities being released into the atmosphere.

What do you think -- would you be willing to give up old bras to help create cleaner energy?  Perhaps it's time for the U.S. to invest in similar fuel-generating technologies!

Back at home, my family's beautiful Christmas tree is still standing proudly in the living room.  But by this weekend, we'll have to turn out the lights, put away all the ornaments, and accept that the holiday season is over.  Just one question remains:  What will we do with the tree? 

Most people toss out their trees at the end of the Christmas season.  But do they have to be trashed?  According to aHa! Modern Living, there are several earth-friendly ways to dispose of Christmas trees.  Let's go over a few ideas:

1.  Feed the wildlife

One great way to get extra use out of your Christmas tree is to use it to feed the birds and other animals in your yard.  After you've removed your decorations, set up the tree in your backyard, and adorn it with fruits, seeds, and popcorn.  The wildlife will love the winter feast!

2.  Pamper yourself

Did you know that pine is commonly used as a natural remedy for muscle pain, circulation problems, and rheumatism?  Make yourself a soothing pine-bath by boiling 1/2 cup of washed pine needles in water, and then pouring the "needle tea" into your tub.  Add in 1 cup of Epsom salts for an extra special experience.

3.  Fresh scent

You can use aromatic pine needles to make your own potpourri!  Crumble your needles and combine them with cloves, broken cinnamon sticks and dried fruit peel.  After, add drops of your favorite essential oil.  After a week or so, the scents should blend nicely.  Put your homemade potpourri on display in bowls around your house.

As you can see, there are plenty of creative ideas for using your leftover Christmas tree.  As you take down your tree, keep these tips in mind, and you'll be on your way to a more eco-friendly New Year!

It's an unfortunate reality that we don't hear much positive news about the environment these days.  So when I came across an uplifting article about the return of a special species to the San Francisco Bay, I knew I had to share it.  After missing for 60 years, harbor porpoises are beginning to reappear in large numbers.

According to NPR, what drove the porpoises away in the first place was probably the quality of the water.  Bill Keener from Golden Gate Cetacean Research told NPR that at one point, "raw sewage used to flow right into the bay.

Since the passing of the Clean Water Act in 1972, however, the water's quality has improved.  Researcher Jonathan Stern with San Francisco State University told NPR that it's taken some time for the porpoises to rediscover the bay.  "Over 60 years, we're talking about a number of generations of porpoises," Stern says. "So it's quite likely that San Francisco Bay as a habitat was out of the institutional memory."

That's clearly all changed, though, as 250 individual porpoises have been identified in the area.  The positive change proves that humans can work to reverse damage done to the Earth and its ecosystems.  As Stern told NPR, "It's one of those very few good-news environmental stories. And it's in our backyard. It gives one hope."

Back in August, I shared an article about how one state in Nigeria is using excess plastic to build homes and other structures.  I certainly applaud Kaduna State for making use out of the excess trash and pollution in an attempt to prevent the Pacific "garbage patch" from growing any bigger.  Now, one company is actually gathering plastic directly from the North Pacific Gyre to recycle and turn into new products.

According to Sunrise Packaging, Method, a company which produces natural products and cleaning supplies, "has unveiled its latest innovation in sustainable packaging- a bottle that is made out of plastic collected from the North Pacific Gyre, also referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch."  Twenty-five percent of the plastic used for the new bottle is taken from the Gyre in an attempt to shrink the massive mountain of plastic. 

However, the real goal here is to raise awareness.  Sunrise Packaging reports that "the real solution to plastic pollution lies in reusing and recycling the plastic that’s already on the planet."  Indeed, remanufacturing unwanted contaminants will not only remove the garbage from our oceans, but will also reduce the need for the creation of new plastic.

This is a brilliant idea that definitely has our support!  Great job, Method.

Have you heard of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI)? It's a system that ranks over 150 countries in terms of their ecosystem vitality as well as their environmental public health.  According to Expatify, the countries that topped the list have "the most pristine environments, cleanest waters, most startling biodiversity and even some of the best public transportation or health."

The most recent EPI report is out; which nations are the most environmentally friendly?

1.  Iceland 

The people of Iceland are someone lucky; the country has rich geothermal resources as well as roaring rivers from which hydroelectric power is generated.  That's why Iceland is able to get most of its power from renewable energy.

2.  Switzerland 

Many European nations make the top of the EPI list, but Switzerland is a special case.  The nation has a "clean freak" mentality.  Plus, pure water fed from alpine glaciers spreads throughout the region.

3.  Costa Rica 

What stands out about Costa Rica is its expansive rainforest conservation initiative.  Its many programs are world-renowned.  The nation's leaders understand that protecting its natural resources is important.

Interested to see how your nation ranks? Check out the full list of country scores here.